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' - . THE OLD WIFE. Bj the bed the old man, waiting, sat in vigil sad and tender, Where his aged wife lay dying, and the twilight shadows brown, Blowly from the wall and window chased the sunset's golden splendor, Going down. *' Is it nighti" she whispered, waking (for her spirit seemed to hover Lo?t between the next world's sunrise and the bedtime cares of this). And the old man, we.tk and tearful, trembling as he bent abovo her, Answered: "Yes." * Are the children in?" she asked him. Could be tell her? All the treasures Of their household lay in silence many years beneath the stiow; But her heart was with them living back among her to Is and pleasures, Long ago. And again she called at dew-fall in tha sunny summer weather, "Where is little Charley, father? Frank and Robert?have they come:" " They are safe," the old man faltered;"qty the children are together, Safe at home." Then he murmured gentle soothings, but his grief grew strong and stronger, Till it choked and stilled him as he held her r'l wrinkled hand, For her *oul, far out of heariug, could his fondest words no longer Understand. c<; . Still the pale lips stimmered questions, lullabies and broken verses. Nursery pratt'e all the language of a mother's loving heeds While the m dnigbt round the mourner, left to sorrow's bitter mercies, Wrapped ite weeds. There was stillness on the pillow?and the old man listened lonely? Till they led him from the chamber, with the burden on his breast, For the Wife of sixty years, his manhood's early love and only, f.?". . T nw of Kocf "Fare you well!" he sobbed, "ray Sarah; you will meet the babes before me; Tis a little while, for neither can the parting long abide, For you wiil come and call me soon, I know ?and Heaven will restore me To your side." It was even so. The springtime, in steps of winter treading, Scarcely shed its orchard blossoms ere the old man closed his eves. And they buried him by Sarah, and tiny had their " diamond weddino?" la the skies. ?Church Union. ALONG THE ORINOCO. i ! At nine o'clock in the morning of the 15th day of September, in the yeai 1860, the steam launch Naturalist bejan her ascent of the Orinoco Kiver. It was an exploring expedition fitted out by l?c>1fol, the English naturalist and taxider- ! fit i fit JIT /I VlO hfl/1 fKa fiill nnnoonf a f ?Ua ? MV ? ?v? vuv 1UU VWUOV/UW VI IUU Venezuelan authorities to navigate if ' possible to the head waters of the stream. . Our party was composed of Mr. Redfol, . an English sportsman named Grant, a ; 8cotch doctor and sportsman named ] Mc'- onald, two young men named Ward and Baker, who were assistants to the , naturalist, an engineer, a firerra:), a j cook, a steward, two deck hands and J myself. I was taken to act as interpreter, ] having passed several years on the coast , and in the interior.- 1 was also to assist , the professor in scouring and caring for j specimens, and in helping to supply the ! party with fresh meat. The launch had been buiR in England \ especially for th s trip. She was flat , bottomed, screw power, and of light , draught. Her engines were very power- j ful, and her grates arranged for either ] rnal nr icnn/1 WKJIa .? >"* wm> ?? "wx*. it u?tv twvui auu Luiuiun I , had been sacrificed to swurc strength j j tad power, our accommodations were !, still ample and convenient. We had a j large supply of small arm3 and aramu- ', nition, and two six-pounders were1 ] mounted on carriages so as to be used at j ( the gangways. All the upp:t cabin i { windows were provided with bullet-1} proof shutters, and the woodwork was j j strong and heavy. There was no donbt [, that we should meet with hostile natives, <, and it wjis only common prudence to be , prepared for them. , The English brig Duke took the j launch from England to Trinidad, where ] she was set up and fitted out, and it ] was from that Island we took our dc- |1 parture that September morning, carry- ; ing as much coal as we could possibly I, stow away. On the second day, after 1 ] getting into the Orinoco, we werebevond !, -11 1 ? - ' an oewciueijis, uuu aunougn cue stream . 1 is much used by native boatmen it was j 8 only at long intervals that any craft !, came in sight. There is no river in the . worl^, not ev^n the Ganges, which is ' { more infested by crocodiles. We saw ! | them almost from the moment we j entered the stream, and every mile ', passed over the number seemed to in- | crease. They were so bold and numerous ) as to be a serious mcnace to the native j \ craft, and we had beta asked by Gov- ', ernment officials to kill as many as possi- I, ble. During the afternoon of the second |, day three of us killed with our rifles at' ] least fifty of the monsters. Wherever., there was a sandy beach the reptiles could ( be found by the dozen, and sotne of the sandbars in the river were hidden from sight by the scaly bodies. The engines 1 ( were slowed down and the launch kept as near the shore as safety would perm.t, j *nd we were often within nUtrt! shot: r?f : our targets. Few of the crocodiles seemed a armed at our appearan e. and some came swimming otf fro:ii islands and sand bars to inspect us. I have seen the crocodiles of India and Alri a. where they are supposed to attain their large*t size, but they cannot compare with those % of the Orinoco. About 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the second day, as we swerved into the mouth of a creek on the right hand bank to escape some driftwood coming down, every one uttered an exc'amtition of astonishment at sight of a monster saurian lying amoDg the weeds. He was, as alt agreed, fully twenty-tive feet long, and his bulk at the middle was that of a hor^e. He lay with his head away from us at first, but on being made aware of our presence he whirled about, opened his jaws wide enough to take in an oil barrel, and took 1 his time about entering the water. Our astonishment at his size was so great ' that none of us fired a shot. After proceeding five miles further up ; the stream we crossed to the left bank, J entered the mouth of another creek, in- j tending to make our first excursion on . shore from this spot. Several crocodiles ! followed in the wake of the steamer, and some of the men declared that the ! big fellow was among them. We ran ' into the creek about four times our' length, and made fast to a tree onshore, j ana in a short time night shut down over the forest. I Here was a great highway which had been more or less navigated for a score of years, and along the banks of which were many settlements, and yet the presence of man had not made the slightest inroad into the wildne>s and the savageness of nature. Scarccly had the darkness come down when we were besieged I on all sides. For ths mosquito pest we were prepared. Had we not been no man could have lived an hour. They j came down unou us in fcuch swarms that a mari outside of shelter would have een eaten alive. Every door and window I was defended by wire cloth, but the insects settled - on the glass outside and I upon everv object on deck until it was hidden from sight. The crocodiles came down the crtek and in from the river in such numbers that the swell kicked up kept the launch in motion. A dozen times over we felt their teeth taking hold of the iron screw and slipping o!f, and it seemed as if men in an open boat would ha- e stood no show whatever agaiust the monsters. Night also brought out a thousand sounds from the primeval forest around us. Frogs, birds, and beetles raised a frightful medley, and there were mo ments when all our conversation had to be suspended. We were now Jbigh enough up to be among the jaguars and black panther*, and the screams of these savage beasts reached our ears before we turned in to sleep. Indeed, as we sat smoking in the cabin after supper, we heard and felt an animal of the cat tribe 3pnng aboard and walk back and forth over our heads. As w<> were entirely shut in there was no danger to be feared, The engineer yet had plenty of steam, or*A nrlian Ko rr-a a nAmmtl niVnfp^ With Ha blew such a blast on the whistle as startled our visitor out of his wits and brought us graveyard stillness for the next half hour. Next morning, while the Professor aod his assistants landed to scotir the woods about and secure specimens, I gave the crocodiles all my attention. I had an English muzzle-loading rifle of large calibre, and I shot five of "the reptiles in the creek behind the boat. A bullet behind the fore leg or in the eye reached their life at once. While the report of the rifle alarmed the birds and animals of the forest the crocodiles paid little attention to it. Ju3t above was a long, sandy beach, and by eight o'clock in the morning this beach was a sight to sec. We hal a full mile of it under our eyes, and the number of crocodiles which had crawled up on the sands could not have been short of 500. They were of all sizes, from the little chap no longer than your arm to the old settler, alongside of which a twenty foot pole ; could have been laid. I wa'ked up to the thick of them and began blazing > away. Tho>e reptile* within a space of J forty fefct hurried into the water at the | report, but it was only to land a^ain ; above and below, and it was fully three i, hours before the game became so shy that I temporarily abandoned the sport. | The morning's re-ult was 110 crocodiles, j all of which were veterans of the largest j Bize. During the two days wc remained j, in this spot I killed 207 of the reptiles, i and fo. ty more were slain by other mem- i bers of the party. Four or five days later, while twenty-: j five miles further up the river, we saw a curious and astounding sight. We were j ? 1/vfi K<\ ii Ir an/1 V* o rl inaf I lieu up IU tUC 1CII uaurv, nuu uuu. jug? finished dinner, when a fire was discov- ( ercd in the forest on the opposite shore. The flames were two or threa miles back , from the water, but hardly had we ob- ' served the great smoke before various wild animals began making the crossing, j 1 We could ^ee up and down the Orinoco | for a distance of two miles either way, j: ind in ten minutes after we saw the 1 Bre the water for all this distance seemed ! j [ashed to foam. Wild cattle, deer, i tapirs and jaguars came swimming to our 1 j siae for life. The crocodiles for a . ' - i J J j A.X. ^ -4 j J long distance up ami uowa iue si ream . j jot the call to come to a rare feast, j ( ind I believe that a full thousand of j, ;hem were in sight from the launch. The , j itream here was over half a mile wide, 1, with a current of about three miles an j ( aour. "What with their fear of the flames ; ] Dehind them and the tierce crocodiles ' , uound them, the fleeing inhabitants of . :he forest were in gn at terror. It did ! ] lot for a time occur to us that we were j { u any danger, but suddenly we observed ; j i huge serrent heading straight for the , auuch, and some s-houted for all to seek . ;over. The snake came right aboard, ^ ind was followed in a m'nute or two by j i jaguar. Either of the visitors could ;< lave easily pasaed to the shore as we lay j igalnst the bank in deep water, but both j teemed determined to remaia with us. It j ^ .vasu't two m'nutes before the fierce1, jrowls of the jaguar proved that a contict was imminent, and thirty seconds j ater sei Dout and beast were having it , jot and heavy along the hurricane deck. j While the row was going on a sccond jaguar boarded us over the bows, which were open back to the pilot house, and looking from a window it seemed as if < we were be?et from the river side. It i was a full half hour before the panic sub- ] uded, and by that time every crocodile j must huve had a square meal and over. 1 We had shut ourselves up when the , I serpent crime aboard. A fight certainly ( took pla -e between the snake and the 5rst jaguar, and when the second came : i iboard, the fi3'ht took on a new phase. 1 s Whether the two beasts were attacking ] the reptile together, or whether it was a 1 triangular coutest, we could not tell, but < Eifter the panic along the river had sub- i jided, we carefully op?ncd the cabin 1 doors and looked out. One of the jaguars 1 lay dead ou the deck, while the other ' ?A a c Qcnnn h wflpn <YAin An l KJU IUVi ovi j'tim " vi v ^v<4w. < examination of the do id beast showed i that he had been caught in the folds of < the snake, and that tne latter was a boa constrictor. The backbone and nearly I all the rib* were broken. i Three or four days later we had a near i and plain view of a still more singular < combat. We had tie 1 up to the bank for the night, and were eating supper,'] when a wild bull came down to the i water by a path onlv 200 feet above us. i He was either very thirsty or very reck- ! less, for he gave us no attention. With- j in ten feet of where he lowered his head to drink was a large tree, and the bull had scarcely tasted the water when an enormous serpent flung itself downward and outward from a large limb and se'i/.ed the bull. There was a great fuss instantly. The snake had a tail hold on i the limb, but the bull was stout and , strong and could not be pulled off his feet. While taken by surprise, he w.is j not in the least rattled, and from the way he used hoof and horns, we saw that the serpent had undertaken a big job. Mud and leaves and gras^were flying in showers, almost hiding the bull from our view, when a monster croco-! di!e came out of a bed of reeds a few; rods above, and running along down the I bank, seized the bull by a fore leg. The j defiant roars of the victim were now changed to bellows of terror and dismay, j While the snake attempted to haul one way the crocodile pulled the other, j After three or four minutes the saurian get an advantage, and suddenly the.ser- j pent let g > his hold of the tree, and then such a rumpus was kicked up that we could see nothing of the combat. When ' the air clearcd a little the serpent was : escaping into a thick fringe of foliage. ! We tired our rifles at the bull and croco-j I i idile and scared them off. The bull waB weak aud evidently had been badly hurt. Let one travel on foot through the most populous district in the United States and one would not see a single house dog or cat where we saw three jaguars along the Orinoco. There was not one hour during daylight for a period of three months that thase creatures were not arotind us, and most of the time one or more were in sight. Whenever we ran along close to the banks we saw them crouched down on flood wood or moving through the forest, and whenever we came to a sandy beach over which the tu> tie crawled a jaguarcould surely be counted on for every half mile. In the three months we killed upward of 200 of the-se animals, and in al mostevere instance saved the skin. In only one case was any of us in danger from ^his cunning and ferocious beast. The steamer had been tied to the bank and we had been making excursions from that spot for three or fuur days, when one afternoon, when only one of the young men was left behind at the fire on the brink, a Jaguar crept up and sprang upon him. It was a wonderful spring, as he aftetward discovered. From . the spot where the beast croui h:-d to the place where he alighted on his victim wa3 just twenty-six feet. The young man was kneeling down and bend ing over a specimen wnicn no was examining ana the jaguar fell on bis back and sei7ed bim by tbe rigbt shoulder. Tbe man weighed almost 150 pounds and was a muscular fellow, but the jaguar trotted off with him as if he had been a shoulder of mutton, not lifting the body entirely from the ground, but dragging it along. Fortunately for tie victim,* the forest wa3 very dense just thore, and the beast had to take one of the several paths leading through it. He had not gone above 300 feet when he met one of tbe party on his way back to the boat. The jaguar sprang for a limb ten feet above his head, still holding to the man, and such was his won- ! derful muscular power that one of his ' forepaws actually touched the limb. , When he dropped back it was to receive j a bullet in the head. In dying he in- , flicted several severe wounds on the young man with his claws.?New York Sun. Senator Wade Hampton'9 Daughter, j A contributor to the Brooklyn Eagle, \ who writes on New York topics, says: ] Another woman here, and one quite as , remarkable iu her way as Miss Thomas, | and a!so pale, slim and dark eyed, is the i daughter of Wade Hampton, of South j Carolina, famous as both General and ] Gove?nor. he had uo need to lea. e hel ( home, where there was both money and j love, but she tired of the inane and inac? ; tive existence of a woman without carel j r\r roar\.\nailiil if ir anH fViP fmrri- ? I L ?,! | MV.WJ/iiV W?*V UV?i t ( tied entreaties of her conservative aunt?, |" determined to come to New York and \ take up the career of professional nurse. , For two years now she has been herd ( Btudying in a hospital and her career hai j j been a very unusual one. She has won ; \ a sfecial medal for her rapid advance- | j ment and proficiency, and is now tha ' \ chief assistant in the surgical ward, j . In this department a woman with j special qualifications is needed. She I must be ready, quick of eye, cool and steady of nerve, must keep all : < the necessary appliances at nand and 1 j stand prepared on the instant to supply I 5 to the operator the sponges, bandages or i restoratives needed. There is nothing ! ] the ODeratiner ohvsician so resents as a ? nurse' who Thiqks herself capable of j j making suggestions to him, and the first j lesson the nurse in this ward must learn < is to hold her tongue. But the other day i Miss Hampton who was standing bydur- , ing a most delicate performance of a j most difficult operation suddenly !eaued 1 ] forward to the physician and made a ' , quick suggestion in a low voice. He i made no rep'y, but instantly acted upon ' ] it and the nurse did not know whether , lia wnrArn^ fnp Vinr tpmAnfv 1 . ruwuiu uv tv|/i vi *v* uv4 ?vujv< j )r not. 1 ater when this physic ian found ? rimself in the company of the surgical i j ward nurse and the full staff of the hos- ! \ i)ital he took occasion to publicly thank , ler for her valuable suggestion and the : j issistance she had rendered him. Miss \ ( Hampton will, take the entire course of j ? :raining here and then return to the j ( ?outh, where professional nurses with a t cientific knowledge of iheir profession ire extremely rare. There iu her native State she will endeavor to waken an in:eret'i in the matter and devote her at- i ention to the founding of schools for , ;echnical instruction aud both open a j jew field of labor for her own sex and ; ] mpply a soreiy needed institution among :, ler own people. Filled with this nmbi- j :ion, she has abandoned every indulg- | ? mce ana luxury ana spends ner time ! iraid sceues and sounds of suffering. i Diamond Setting. "Diamond setting," said a Maiden Lane specialist to a New York Mail and j Express reporter, *'ls the most unique sranch of the jeweler's art, not often at:cmpted by any one save those who have jrown proficient by long practice." Dian:ond setters now endeavor to use is little gold as is consistent with the safety of the stone, and the stronger the prongs are the less rfsk is run in tne setting being misplaced or loosened. The :rown settiug, which is universally in i?n in Kncrljmd and other Euronenn conn O ? K tries, has altogether gone out of fashion i here, the objection being the difficulty ( which a lady experiences in getting on i ind off her gloves, when she wea:s a ring of this de script ion. This defeat is ?ntircly done away with in the "Helcher" or "Gypsy" setting, it being sunk below r ihe surface of the metal, and does not t necessarily hide the view of the diamond, ^ and it offers no hindrance in the matter i of removing the gloves. The half-round t 'Gypsy1'setting is steadily coming into i general use, from its handsome ana neat ] appearance as well as the prevention s adopted against the loj3 of the jewel, < should it happen to catch in a ladies' i garments. Tbe flat "Gypsy'' setting al- ( though not a new design meets the popu- i lar demaud, far in excess of either of t the preceding oues, on account* of ihe 1 way in wtucn tne aiamona is exposed, 11 thus enabling a smaller stoue to show I to better advantage than if a different s scttiug were used. t 1 ; ? The Insurance Man Gets Tliere. j i A marriage whiih took place in * Springfield. Ohio, a few day3 since was ! 1 the re-ult of a somewhat romantic court*'' ship. About two years ago a Chicago * life insurance agent was persistent in his * endeavors to write a large policy on one ,? of his bachelor friends. The friend talways objected on the ground that he * was alone in the world, had plenty, and 1 no need to provide further for the future. * One day he remarked, however, to the 1 persisted agent: ''You find me a wife 1 and I will buy a policy of you." The a proposition was accepted. The agent brought about a correspondence between 1 a Louisville widow, a friend of his wife, i and the bachelor, which soon became' < deeply interesting to both parties. In j due time a meeting was arranged, tne re-,1 suit of which was that the agent wrote a j 1 big policy and hia friend cea ed to be a . t bachelor. ?Pittsburg Dispatch. I * -v.- J-t :; - : ,_' > ;,WOMAFS WORLD. PLEASANT LITERATURE FOR FEMININE READERS. Compensation. "Who hesitates i3 lo3t" Is an adage old, Fearful lovers, to their cost, Learn they must be bokl. Bur, since nothing new can be Underneath the sun, 'Tis as old and true that she Who hesitates is?won. ?Kemper Uncock, in the Century. The Yellow Breakfast. The pink tea has now a dangerous rival in the "yellow breakfast." At a recent Washington yellow breakfast, served, by the way, at 8 oclock in the afternoon, the table linen was of yellow and white damask; beautiful scarfs of yellow china silk were draped effectively over the backs of thedining-chairs. The floral decorations consisted of daffodils and narcissus, and the hostess herself wore a gown of buttercup-vellow plush, which almost lost its identity in billows of filmy lace. The pale yellow lights of the lam pa blended in-perfect harmony witb the golden sunlight of ti e afterm/\/\n An/) ill**tvUnofa/1 nn offnnf no efrilr_ iiuuu, mm iiiuiuiuaiuu uu vitV/V. w uo on ing ns it was novel and picturesque.? Cl'-'ayo Tribune. The Latest Thing in Veils. The newest thing in veils, says a New York letter to the Kansas City Journal, is a strip of Kne wire gauze. It is ns delicate as the dainty silk affairs which women persist in pulling down over their nose-', and much less injurious to the eyes 4Han the dotted or figured net so common upon the street. In appearance it doe3 not differ at all from the ordinary veil, except perhaps it may be thought less flexible. The wire <jauze veil is not in the market, but women have brought a few from England, where they arc teginning to be used, chiefly because they are better respirators than silk, which persists in choking one's breath and plastering itself down upon the face if the air is ever so little damp. A veil of silver thread is very ornamental. New York Swordswoinen. Fencing may be regarded as the complement of dancing in u course of aesthetic phys cal training intended to develop the carriage ana general grace of the body, as well as its muscular vigor. Actresses have long recognized this fact, ind profited by it, and in all schools of icting the young ladies have their fencing classes. It is only within the last year or two, however, that the exercise has readied the status of a regular feminine accomplishment. The fencers' Club, started five years ago by i number of gentlemen well known in the twliotSA lUfiMAKfr qaai.i1 Alf/ilao nf Vow , >1 LiOblV'} inciai j auu auvidt vit viw v?* aivi* i Vork, now gives certain hours weekly j for a class of ladies exclusively, and the i apportuuity thus afforded is much j appreciated. Captain Nicholas is the | instructor: and his fair pupils are able j to give, at the pretty quarters of the club j in West Twenty-fourth street, exhibitions which are charming in their miniated grace and skill. ?Frank Leslie1*. Beauty in Paraaols. ^ ~ ?? "/vln ?* XA fl ArAflrton f ! Ot'iuc jmiaouia ate ui di*i iptu jiviwovguv ?ilk, the three colors of the ground and : !ho pattern making a lovely play of light ! lud shade; and with the covers of; Escurial lace, or the lighter Spanish. lace, with many point stitches in tne dejign: some of Madras plaids, gay enough for a Creole, and some sober, costly and substantial in dark, plain colors. The sticks are of light wood, artificially' veined in alligator patterns when flat : >r-in designs suggesting the joiut3 and : ibres of reeds when round; and some look like Japanese fan cases, some are curved like shepherd's crooks, some are Milliard cues, and some terminate in ! .arge carved balls, big enough if they ! jvere hollow, which they are not, to hold j i handkerchief and potketbook. 'lhei iiI v<?r handles are verv dark in color, and ire Japanese or early Italian in decora-! ion, and some are ornamented with ibbon bows, some with cords aod silk ' pendents, and some with cords and ihenille balls. Horn tips on the ferules i ire new and are expected to be more lurable than metal tips.?Boiton Trancrip!. The Linen Folders of Anjou. The women of the ancient town of \niou, France, have acquired a worldwide reputation for their proficiency in "old.ng linen for nil purposes. Their: mgc linen-presses show some marvellous 1 nasterpieces in the way of folded table 1 inAn At a vast table cloth folded into i trough, twenty-four sheep formed of Medina napkins are supposed to be Irinking, watched by a large napkin in > he shape of a shepherd, and half-a-1 iozen doylies fringed taking the forms j )f dog*. Others are in the shnpes of nasties, mitres, towers, windmills, pitches, jars and boots. Among the elabo-1 ate ornamentation ot linen in various iinds of embroidery, that of the coat-of- j inns, crest, or monogrm, is considered j he more elegant, always considered that! he coat-of-arms is inherited, and not1 Hirphnsf-rl Tn these luxurious davs of >urs, the doylies are made of the softest, :reamy India Bilks, others of finest linen exquisitely embroidered. Napkins of :Le finest linen are elaborated with drawn ivork, and others for fruit have ex- j juisitely tinted borders.?1Veto York !Wss. Chinese "Wives on Strike. The most extreme advocates of wonan's rights in the Western world seems o be mild and timid theorists compared vitli the women folk in the district of ! ?hun-te, in Kuantung. In this part of he Celestial Empire we are told by the 'Jhin't? Times that the young women eague themselves into societies, and _? ' - ?- ? will nftf mo v*i*tr iQiemniy vuw tunc iun num uv> ????. , >r that if they marry they will not lire ; ivitli their husbands until every member >f their society has entered into matii-1 nony. In accordance with these views, I he brides invariably go back to their 1 ionics after the cercmony and do not I nake their appearance among their hus-1 :ands' family again except on the occa-, iion of the New Year and other import-! mt festivals. Then they "come over," j ind after remaining for a day or so, durng which time they partake of neither ' ood nor drink, they take themselves off | with the greatest expedition possible, j rhosc husbands who are able to enjoy he soeiety of their wives within two or : .bree years after marrying are, wc are 1 issured.rare and exceptional instances of food fortune. The darkest feature of the i msincss, however, is yet to come; for it1 ippears that upon the occasion of one of1 hese flying visits force is employed to j letain the ladies. They always turn this :oinedy into a tragedy by committing uicide.?London Times. Burglars Anger a Housewife. An amusing illustration of the strength >f involuntary impulses was recently aforded by the visit of burglars to the lome of a certain well-known official of iVa9hington City, who lives just outside he District limits, in the country. About 5 o'clock in the morning he and his wife { j ' "M-** tV-vv. - <>_ v'- _ ' ^ . ? ' } ' ' -'"IV ' ' ' were suddenly aroused by the appearance in their bedroom of three masked men. Two of them stood at the bead of the bed, with revolvers cocked and pointed at the temples of the bedfellows, ordered them to lie still and save their lives by so doing. They complied with the request while the third ruffian began to explore the room. His bull's eye lantern being awkward he took a candle trom the bureau and lighting it began to ransack closets, drawers, boxes and bureaus in the room. While so engaged he carelessly let the paraffine taper drop in swift succession hot drops all over the floor. The housewife, though bound to the pillow by the muzzle of a revolver, could not restrain her impulses despite the blood-curdling threat of the burglar ftf bi'Ha half rnoA in Ha/3 and cried out: 4"Shame on you! Don't you see that you are spoiling ray carpet?" An unintelligible grunt was the only answer. "Now, look here, you villain," again cried out the housewife. "I want you to stop spelling grease all over my carpet," "Yes, M'm, I will do it, seeiu' as how we'can't take it with us," he gently remarked. " The scoundrels at the bedside only chuckled. At that moment an alarm clock set up its call for an early rising servant up stairs. The thieves became | suspicious at once. They snuffed out the candle and threw a big bag containing their plunder over their shoulders, closed the door behind them, and stole down the stairs, out of the front gate, and decamped And then it was that the good housewife fainted.?New York Tribune. Fashion Notes. Apple-green is a fashionable color. Full corsages grow more and more in favor. Fancy straws are plentiful in the new millinery. The netted silk cord is a new and effective trimming. Russia braid the collar,cuffs and front of your next house-gown. Plain white and fancy-colored handkerchiefs are both fashionable. Cheviot homespun is a fabric which ia greatly liked for its serviceable qualities. The introduction of velvet millinery for summer wear comes to us from England. Some English women are being married in colors when the wedding is an afternoon affair. Galloons of metal braid are to be used on hats and a'so for the binding of bonnets the coming season. Large designs are going out of fashion, small patterns of braid aud passementerie put on by hand being preferred. Costume; of plain black net either in the Russian or Brussels weave will be worn for mourning the coming summer Flat braiding, executed with fine, flat Russiun braid, is now general used, but most patterns are wrought with two kinds of b;aid. The impossible flowers of shot and shaded velvet or satin, with gold or tinsel hearts, are offser by others, marvel lously natural. Plaid Bcagalines are used to good advantage in combination with the soft woolen fabric* such as Lampas cloth, Henrietta, Chudder cloth or India twills. The gossamer bonnet, albeit they seem to be made of a cobweb tie with a bow of watered ribbon, cost just as much as if they were made of costly and rich fabrics. Tbe dress Parisians prefer for the promenade is a light cloth costume. It may be richly braided or ornamented with handsome embroidery, or it may be quite plain. Medicis belts are to be used in the new suits. The girdle is made with a pointed front of pasteboard covered with the dress goods, and the front half only studded with opal, garnet, or jet beads. New basques have pointed backs, stiff ly boned tnrougnouc, ana mougn mere is nn effort to trim sleeves into untidiness, the favorite mode is jet the natty ruff of folds, held by a closely strapped bow. Pirgrim dresses made of white flannel finished about the feet with a Moorish border of silver lace are very lovely. A little girdle encircles the waist and a Marguerite pocket is worn at the right side. The new style in trimm'ng bonnets is with a varied assortment of colored rosettes. These are made of line lisse or crape, sometimes five or more of these rosettes are seen on a bonnet, and in as IilUUJi UU1UI3. Some of the new bonnets of chantilly lace are quite charming, this beautiful tine lace always being a very attractive one for such purposes; these bonnets will be very stylish the coming summer to match the chantilly costumes. Linen lawns ure in old fashioned polka dots and figures of very small size, and will prove as popular as they did years ago, when there was no more desirable summer costumes than one of linen lawn. It is like new each time it is laundered. Middle-aged ladies have their full dress toilets of black velvet or moire cut with a half-high corsage, inside of which is gathered a guimpe of black net or tulle which comcs up close about the throat, where it is completed by a high collar of moire or velvet. The Late Sultan or Zanzibar. The death of tbe Sultan of Zanzibar is a bad thing for British influence on the east coast of Africa, declares the New York Sun, and may cause friction with Germany, which lias been very active in those regions of late. Tbe Sultan years ago had a misunderstanding with Eng. land about the slave trade, and narrowly escapod having his pa'ace brought tumbling about him by shells from British men-of-war anchored in his own harbor. Lately he saw the error of his ways, and, while winking at hu nan traffic, took no overt part in it. His physicians and the commander-in-chief of his queer army were Englishmen, and he was foud of giving dinners in what his chcf wa3 pleased to style Eng ish fashion. He would freely lend horses and carriages to officers of Britith men-of-war, and the 1 ? ? mA0 olumvQ aurA nf IIUIUUltrat uiiuauipiliau rrao a>nujg ?.vV. , a good time when ashore at Zanzibar. The | Sultan must have died rich, for he en-! joyed an income of over a million dollars a year, and used to let his idle war ships on hire as freight steamers. He also made a yood thing out of the religious fervor of his subjects, by conveying from Zanzibar to Jeddah in his own steamers the pilgrims bround for holy Mecca. The Sultan was a free and easy sort of Mussulman, but he didn't allow the newfangled European docrine of liberty of conscience to apply to members of h'S own family. One of his sisters managed to elope with a German employed in a * .ffl? -i. A WAAV in a mecnanic s ouxoc uv v-v ? wccn.. She became a Christian, and wa3 left a widow almost destitute. Over and over again the poor Princes applied for help to her royal brother, but he refused either to see her or forgive her. - . - *: . BUDGET OF FUN. HUMOROUS SKETCHES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. A Cold Day?He Will See it LaterInnocence Imposed On?Two Busy for That?Etc., Etc. The poet ia front of the editor stood And said, with a little cough: "I thought T would bring you a little thing? A thing I have just dashed off/' The editor rose from his ivory chair, With passion his features wrought: "I want no things that are 'just dashed off,' I want the results of thought." Ha closed with a snap his ebony deslc, The poet he rudely gripped, And bearing his load, to the street below, The editor blithely tripped. He staggered beneath the weight ha bore, But bravely kept bis feet; He carried the bard to the lower floor And dashed him into the street A stranger passing, the act observed; "Why, what is tne row?" said he; ThnoHltoi-MM. < 1TL. - ?-t-:? I hava Just dashed off, jou see.^' ?Boston Courier. ' He Will See It Later. Clerk?"I worked off some of that packed butter to day." Grocer?"indeed! Whom did you send it too?" Clerk?"Mrs. Blank, around on Dash street." Grocer?"Great guns! Why, I board with her."?Detroit Free Press. Innocence Imposed Upon. CaPer (to Bobby, in his first trousers) ?"Those are nice trousers, Bobby, for a little boy." Bobby (proudly)?"They ain't boy's trousers. Ma says they are regular men's trousers." Caller?4 'Are they ?" Bobby?"Yes, indeed; they're made from an old pair of pa's."?New Tori Sun. Too Bust for That. Brown?"How is business with you, rv 1 on isiuutcjr 2 - * Dum ley?"Slow, very slow; nothing doing at all." Brown?"How about that little bill I sent you three months ago?" Dumley? "Well, to toll the truth, I haven't had time to look it over."? Tidbits. Indispensable. "I hear that they are going to have a donkey party at B V said a Parsonville man to his neighbor. "So I understand," was the reply; " arc you going ?" " Of course I am," said the Par jonville man; "they couldn't have the party without me." And he couldn't quite make out what the other fellow was laughing at.?St. Albans Messenger. What Would Stop Them. A particularly vigorous speaker at a woman's rights meeting waving her long arm* like the sails of a windmill, asked: 'If the women of this country were to rise up in their thousands and march to the polls I should like to know what there is on this earth that could stop them ?" And in the momentary silence which followed this peroration a still, small voice remarked: \ 44 A mouse!" He Got It Right. Pompous Old Teacher (to class in sa- '' cred history)?"What weapon did Samson use to kill the Phillistines }" , No one remembers. P. O. T. (who believes in suggesting , answers, touching his chin)?" What is this ?" Bright Boy (who takes the hint and remembers it all now)?"The jawbone of an ass, sir." /-. * i_:-i. r? rv rn 3 T> T> circus, in wumu r. vj. i. auu o. u. are principals.?Judge. ' i Wanted a Change of Diet. Hotel Waiter (in Southern California) i "Orangesrawslicedquarteredstewedfrider , baked." Guest (desperately)?"I don't want j 'em in any shape. I want meat and po- j tatocs." i "Meat?" ( "Yes, meat." " Potatoes?" i " Ye?, potatoes." < w alter 10 cne proprietor ?jew momeaui l later)?"Send for the police; crazy man ( in the dining-room.?Omaha World. j His Literary Occupation. j Literary Young Lady?" You have i traveled considerably, I believe, Mr. Flagpole?" "Yes, I have." " Have you met many authors in your travels?" " Yes. In fact, I'm an author myself." ' "Indeed? How del:ghtful. to you I belong to the realistic school? " J "Yes." " Name some of your books, please." 1 " Why, I compiled the last city direc- 1 tory for one."?Omaha World. | A Great Legal Victory. During a lull in the trial of a case in ' Kingston the other day several lawyers j( were relating their experience trying 1 cases. One of them told how he tnied a ( case in the country again3t another law- ' ycr. "What success?" " Oh, I beat them.'' " How much judgment did you get? " "Not any." "How did you beat them, then?" " Umph! 5ly client beat them on the execution." Almost Given Away. Prospective Buyer?"You're sure there's no malaria here?" Real Kstate Agent?"Not a 9-s-sign of i it." I "Xo chills and fever?" I "Ain't b-b-b-been none in t-t-t-t (ex-1 cuse me) twenty year." "Look heie, my friend, what makes you tremble so." j Agent (as another wave of shakes passes over him)?"I was a-a-afraid you i . were g g-goin' away without b-b-buyin', j sir. *' Not Much of a Girl. An Austin mother was very much! discouraged at the dirty condition of her ! boy 's cap when the chi.dren cumo home j from a walk. "How did you come to get your hat so dirty?" angrily asked the mother. "A boy pulled it off my head in the street and threw it in the mud." "That's not so, ma; he threw the cap in the mud him3elf," interrupted hia 1 little sister. "Well, I am a boy, ain't I? If I am a girl I'd like to know it."?Siftinqs. A Peculiar Case. A.?"I was never worse fooled in my life than I was last night." B.?"How so?" "1 had been out on a little toot with I , " ' ' v. " . r? I the boys, and I went to bed rather lateJ Blamed if, when I woke up, my feot weren't cn the pillow where my head should have been." "That was rather strange." "But that wasn't the strangest thine y. about it. All during the night I suffered with headache, when really there was nothing the matter with me except that y; my corns hurt.'*?Siftinjt. A Good Reason Why. They^ had been- talkiag of the sharp games played on innocent people by sharp men, when Green looked up and said: "Gentlemen, I don't brag about my wife being sharper than a razor, but Tu tell you what I'll do. I'll write a note,, = sign it with my own name, and ask her to deliver my Sunday suit to bearer for repairs. You may send it up to the house, and I'll bet you $5 she'll be too sharp to let the clothes go." "We'll take that bet/' called two or three voices, and there being five of them, they, chipped in a dollar apiece. The note was written and signed and despatched by a messenger boy. In half an hour he returned, empty-handed as to clothes, but having a -note which read: , "Come off the,perch. All the clothea . you have in the world are on your MCJC." "Gentlemen," said the winner, as he pocketed hia fiver, "let me recommend is it to you as something which always wins, and as I must meet a man at ' 3 o'clock, I will now bid you good : -'"; d8y*" Finger Kings. "Rings," said a Maiden Lane jeweler to a New Fork Mail and Erprm reporter recently, do not change materially in style at this season of the year. The new designs come in about midsummer." The United States in general, and New York City in particular, are specially . noted for the excellent quality of rings : now manufactured. This high position has only been obtained by diligent research and study. The jewelry manufactured in Frauce is very light, neat and pretty, but the fact that Parisian -" jewelers are required by law to make , nothing less than eighteen carats fine is responsible for the dimsiness of the work turned out. The English jeweler, on the other hand, works in a fashion , diametrically opposed to that of his French brother, using the heavy, bulky patterns. The more gold is utilized, the m more favor it finds in the sight of the- ' > English public. The new York maker m has profited by the faults, if faults they mftv be termed, of both the En dish and French workmen, by adopting a happy medium, in manufacturing rings in such v a manner as to not make use of such a large quantity of gold, aid bp so doing he is enabled to give the stone with which the ring is garnished, a finer set* ting, thereby making it, instead of the metal, the principal objeot to be desired. The manufacturer who uses only a sufficient quantity of gold, enough to secure the safety of the stone, finas his goods ?' more in demand than those who adopt either the French or English fashion. The styles of rings have changed wonderful!? durine the last few years. Formerly corals, cameos and garnets. found favor with the fair sex, bnt no^adays diamonds are the most popular ^ stones with fashionable people. Many rings are made of a combination of rubies and diamonds, while turquoise . and opal are in general use. Opal was considered up to a few years ago a sign of ill omen, except for persons born during the month of October; but are- ^ action has set in, and it issteadily gain- m ing in favor. The designs worn now aro often original with the wearer, and any one can have a ring manufactured, no matter how peculiar or intricate the design, providing he is willing to pav for ,>v hia nfimnalU.T whi,-?h oftfn comeshicrh. The most popular ring for gentlomen is the initial, the top of which is usually made of black onyx, the letter beiag fastened securely to it, and is oftentimes" J thickly studded with rose diamonds. These rings are now made as cheaply as the ordinary cameo, and have altogether taken the place of that once fashionablo stone. Ladies' low-priced rings are generally combinations of garnets and pearls, turquoise and rose diamonds, all . prettily shaded. Moonstone, now com ing into prominence, is a higher priced irticle. The United States use five- ,'v eighths of the diamond product of the world. The best stones and the most irtistic lapidary work are in constant iemand, no other description finding a sale. Sapphire is already fashionable, ind promises not to decrease in public favor. There are pink, yellow, green as well as blue sapphires, each of which has its adm rers, and all of which are gaining in popularity. Hnman Sacrifice in India. A recent occurrence in Rajpootana, [ndia, shows the hold that ancient superitions still have upon the natives. Some rears ago the native States of Oodeypore ind Tonk, with a view of simplifying :heir boundaries, excnangea cenaia vuages near Nermuch. In this process a rilla?e inhabited entirely by Brahmins passed from Codeypore to the Nawab )f Tonk. This village had been granted in perpetuity to the Brahmins by a former Mahnrana of Oodeypore, subject )nly to the nominal annual fee of twelve rupees for protection. After (he exchange the Tonk authorities imposed a evenue assessment, which was raised T from time., to time till it reached 500 -upees annual!/. Successive deputations )f the villages proceeded to Tonk to lay ;he case before the Durbar, but without jffect. Thereupon the Brahmins assembled ind decided by the voices of all present, ivoraea as well as men, that nothing was . eft to move the Durbar except the hunan sacrifice known as "Johur." Four vomen presented themselves as victims, >ut at the last moment two became Tightened and withdrew. No opposiion beiDg offered, the other two went >ravely and willingly to meet death, and vere burned alive in the presence of th? scmbled community, their charred lands being afterwards carried by the rillagers to Oodeypore with a demand orredres3. This occurred at nidday 10 attempt at concealment being lade. ?Allahabad Pioneer. Grandfather's Advice. I remember how my grandsire, When I was a little lad, '/ Saw me whittling with my Barlow, The first knife I ever bad. T was rtnlrr malriniy litiAP JL T*W VIM/ f J Whittling sticks and time away, . And he shook his old head wisely, 4'Don't do that, ray boy, I pray. "If you've got a Yankee notion To make something of your life, Working out your plans is easy. With the aid of stick and knife. "When you whittle, whittle something; Take tnis, sonny, for your rule, If 'tis only match or toothpick, > It will show that you're no fooL "Some men whittle for a lifetime, I And when Death shuts their old knifa, ; Nothing but a heap of litter j Represents their useless lifa." ?Texas Sifting*, ? . ** , -v :